Ariana Grande’s New ‘Thank U, Next’ Music Video Breaks Record

Youtube Screenshot

Ariana Grande in her ‘Thank U, Next’ video

Raquel Perry, Reporter

Pop singer Ariana Grande has established a new YouTube record for the most watched video in 24 hours following a debut. It was projected earlier that the video would only reach 50 million plays by the time a full 24 hours passed,  which edges BTS’s 45.9 million total, but completely passed the 50 million mark by 3 PM EST when it was released on November 30th with a record of 50.3 million viewers , according to the music video platform Vevo. Billboard also reports that it holds the record for the largest simultaneous audience to watch a video posted using YouTube’s “Premiere” feature, accumulating a 829,000 simultaneous viewers.

In case you missed it, Ariana Grande dropped her new video for ‘Thank U, Next’ this weekend. ‘Thank U, Next’ is the lead single from Grande’s upcoming fifth studio album of the same name. The song is a tribute to all of Grande’s exes whom she believes has taught her lessons and therefore is ready to welcome the next.   The music video, which was directed by Hannah Lux Davis,  references several popular comedies including Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, Bring It On, and 13 Going On 30, and features many celebrities such as YouTube stars Colleen Ballinger and Gabi DeMartino, Jennifer Coolidge, and Kris Jenner. Fans were also ecstatic to Victorious co-stars Elizabeth Gillies, Matt Bennett, and Daniella Monet. There were also a few hidden details in the video that correlate with the lyrics like writing about her exes in her “burn book”.

Some fans took the video as a sign for her next chapter of life and she is encouraging young females to use their negative experiences as an opportunity to grow. Many other critics have compared “Thank u, next” to various songs from Taylor Swift with her decision to explicitly mention her ex-boyfriends’ names.

This hit music video has been another long string of accomplishments for Ariana Grande. Many celebrities as well as fans took to social media to praise Grande for her success, including Victoria Justice who commented under one of Grande’s Instagram post saying, “Congrats…the video is awesome!” Ariana Grande has also recently released her upcoming tour dates for fans next year.